On a foggy autumn morning in the heart of the region that handed Donald Trump the presidency, Josh Shapiro is quoting Hebrew scripture to a boisterous throng fearing the worst in the upcoming election.
“I do what I do because of my faith,” the Democratic gubernatorial nominee tells the rapt crowd at the Cro Club, a Croatian bar and bowling alley that’s smelled of beer and cigarettes since before Western Pennsylvania’s steel mills closed a half century ago. “My scripture says no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it, meaning each of us has a responsibility to get off the sidelines, get in the game, and do our part.”
The rhetoric is half rabbi and half motivational speaker, and the white hairs and union guys here in Donora cheer it on like screaming fans at a rock concert, which is funny because Shapiro doesn’t look the part of a rustbelt folk hero.
